"But I got a lot of self-belief after I won against some really good players there, and then I went over to the States and played some smaller tournaments and had a lot of confidence and I won a couple of them.

"So it's been a pretty good three months for me. I wasn't expecting it, but I always believed I could get to the top. So it's a pretty big deal and I'm happy with what I've done."

His progress to his first ATP final, after only entering the tournament at the last moment following Tim Henman's withdrawal, has led to huge media interest in Britain.

"I have watched Tim Henman go through it in the last 10 years, and I hope they are a bit nicer to me than they were to him," he added.